Deadly Witch

By RaShelle Workman

A malevolent witch. A fairy godmother with a deadly ultimatum. Can Cindy get her happily ever after, or will she be forced to marry a man she doesn’t love?
Dear Diary: My best friend is a vampire, I’m completely in love with my boyfriend, and I have the coolest job teaching Spells and Potions at the Academy. My life has never been better. So when a new student stirs up trouble and frees a sorceress who threatens life as I know it, I have no choice but to risk it all and track her down.

Now I’m in a land called Polonias filled with magical creatures, including a talking leopard, a fairy godmother who’s allergic to magic, and a totally handsome prince. He claims we must be married to save the realm.

What the spell?

Without a clue how to handle the prince, or defeat the sorceress, I go in search of a glass lyre said to have magical properties. When its truths are revealed, I must decide whether to save my old life and follow my heart or protect Polonias and help those who claim I am one of them.

Charms and hexes,

Cindy

★★★ Deadly Witch is the fourth book in the #1 bestselling Seven Magics Academy series. If you like unputdownable storytelling, well-developed characters, and a magical romance, then you'll love RaShelle Workman's fast-paced and fun reimagined fairy tale. ★★★

✓ #1 in Paranormal Fantasy

✓ #1 in Horror

✓ #1 in Teen Romance

✓ #1 in Science Fiction & Fantasy

✓ #1 in Fairy Tales & Folklore
__________

The Seven Magics Academy Series:

Blood and Snow

Fate and Magic

Queen of the Vampires

Deadly Witch

Royal Witch

Vampire Lies

Vampire Secret

Vampires and Gargoyles

Vampires and Dragons

Vampire Magics

___________

Other books in this same world:

A Beauty so Beastly

Hidden Princess

Broken Curse

Stolen Magic

Alice in Demonland

Alice Fights Demonland

Alice Takes Demonland

Alice Ignites Demonland

Undercover Reaper

Twice Reaped

Eternally Entangled

Thoroughly Tousled

Infinitely Intertwined

• Language: English
• Publisher: Booklover Legion
• Release date: Aug 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463081822

RaShelle Workman

Booklover Legion brings together authors and readers who love: ya fairytale reimaginings, supernatural suspense, paranormal cozy mysteries, steamy contemporary romance, heartfelt romantic suspense, sweet romance, sexy ya science fiction, and paranormal romance.Authors include:RaShelle Workman ~ YA Fairytale ReimaginingsRachel James ~ Supernatural SuspenseBess Morgan ~ Paranormal Cozy MysteriesRuby Carr ~ Steamy Contemporary RomanceLayla Jones ~ Heartfelt Romantic SuspenseAnn Hardy ~ Sweet RomanceShelly Saber ~ Sexy YA Science FictionCaroline Asher ~ Paranormal RomanceBooklover Legion is a subsidiary of Polished Pen Press, LLC.

Book preview

1

A Grim Smile

Cindy Croswell, will you -

Gabe, the angelic chayot leader and my boyfriend studied me, his glorious features a painting of perfection.

What? I asked, glancing at Pops nervously before focusing on Gabe.

My heart picked up speed. Was he going to ask me to marry him right here? Right now? In an alley full of smelly trash and debris.

His hands circled my arms, and he pulled me to the side. Will you move out of the way? You're blocking my view of the street. He gave me a grim smile. 

Oh. My heart sank. How had my thoughts gone to marriage? I clucked my tongue and clenched my fists together. Sure. 

The town of Salem, Massachusetts, was quiet, which was unusual for a Saturday morning. Typically people were shopping in the market or children played in the park.

It could be that it was before seven in the morning, and none of the shops were open.

Plus, Pops, Gabe, and I were in the alleyway behind several stores.

The backs of the tall, brick buildings lined one side. Green trash bins rested against them. On the other side was a ten-foot chain-link fence separating the businesses from the enormous city building.

There were no windows, thankfully.

We could do our magic without worrying about humans catching us. 

Where is she, Cin? Gabe asked. He was more on edge than usual as he searched the area. 

I don't know. I have magic, but I'm not a GPS. We're still going to have to look. I crossed my arms, frustrated with my long-time love. 

The air was damp and warm, causing my blue tank to stick to my back, not to mention the pool developing between my cleavage.

Thankfully I remembered to put my hair in a ponytail. But my green camo pants, while great for carrying weapons and whatnot, had me wishing I wore shorts. 

Gabe wore jeans and a green tee shirt.

The blades he started carrying when he became the leader of the chayot crossed behind his back. Those angelic weapons were invisible to humans, so only the supernaturals had to worry. 

Well, you'd think your magic would be more accurate. You used a locater spell, right? 

I glared at him. Look, Gabe -

Why don't you both go left, and I'll go right, Professor Pops interrupted, giving us a look that said we were annoying.

I agreed, but it wasn't me.

It was mostly Gabe.

My man needed to chill, which was difficult given the temperature.

Typically, Professor Pops wore sweaters and dress slacks, but today he had on pants similar to mine and a black tank.

The vampire was more than six hundred years old, but he was still damn fine - for an old guy. Short salt and pepper hair accented his square jaw and smile lines. 

You got it, Gabe said, heading off in that direction. 

I followed, trying not to be bugged Gabe was here at all.

Pops and I could handle the girl fine, but my angelic boyfriend felt duty-bound to make sure we didn't use magic or compulsion to hurt any unsuspecting humans we came in contact with. As a chayot, that was his job, but it was still irritating. 

I clenched my fists together, inhaling a deep breath to calm my nerves. 

The witch we were after needed our help, whether she realized it or not. Like me, she was born with magic. And like me, she didn't find out until after her sixteenth birthday. 

It was a tough situation.

The girl was in the foster care system.

One of her foster brothers forced himself on her.

In her fear and self-protective rage, she hurt him using magic.

Not that the little asshole didn't deserve it.

He did.

The problem was, he kept blabbing to anyone who would listen that Sera was a witch.

We needed to find her before the police caught her and incarcerated her, or worse, just killed her.

New laws were passed a year ago.

It wasn't right.

Governments tried to detain any supernaturals they caught.

Thankfully, Pops, his sons, Gabe, Snow, and I freed most of them, but a few were still in detainee camps.

Those supernaturals who weren't prisoners were used in treacherous ways.

Snow defeated Sharra a little over three years ago, and the human realm was just getting back to normal.

Sort of.

While I loved my best friend and appreciated her need to free all supernaturals, she made things rather difficult for humans.

They were entirely blind-sided by the sudden appearance of magical creatures wandering their streets, performing magic in the open, and sucking blood.

Gabe spoke with the leaders of the human realm as well as Snow and the leaders of the other supernaturals, and they all came to an accord.

The supernaturals agreed to leave the human realm, and Snow helped them create their own.

Once most supernaturals were gone, the human leaders passed laws banning magic and supernaturals from their realm altogether.

Still, in many cases, there was no way to tell who the supernaturals were.

That left the human realm in a combustible position, but things were better. 

Okay, not really. 

The biggest worry was the kids, especially those born in the human realm with magic and didn't know it.

In some cases, the parents kicked them out as soon as their magic manifested.

Others turned their own children over to their government. 

The Seven Magics Academy wasn't having that.

Which was why we'd gone to the hospital where the guy was staying.

He had a broken arm and some fractured ribs.

I used magic to sneak us into the room, and Professor Pops compelled the jerk to forget the magic he saw Sera use.

Pops also compelled the guy to be kind. 

Gabe didn't like that Pops used compulsion on a human, but I thought it was amazing. 

Have I mentioned I really like Pops? He's incredible in more ways than one. 

Over here, Pops called. 

Gabe and I ran back. 

Sera was huddled against a trash bin, her back against the wall. She was dirty, and her red hair was matted. 

Don't be afraid, I said, standing in front of Pops and Gabe. Men weren't what she needed to see at the moment.

Leave me alone! Sera put out her hand, and Gabe went sailing back into the chain-link fence.

Without a word, Pops helped him stand.

I was impressed the girl could do magic without the help of a spell or incantation. Her magic probably came from trolls and was mostly brute strength. 

I still didn't know where my magic came from. 

Hey, I said, trying again, my hands out in supplication. It's okay. We aren't going to hurt you. We're here to help. 

She pushed herself against the wall and stood, her hand coming out again, and I knew things were about to get ugly. 

Sure enough, this time, she sent her magic into Pops.

The vampire took a step back but repelled her with his own magic - that of a hunter. His eyes glowed red, and he growled, flashing his fangs. 

Sera's eyes grew wide, and she cried out in pain. 

Incomples slumberia. I spoke the words gently, and Sera's eyes closed as her body slumped to the ground. Let's get her back to the Academy before anyone else gets hurt.

Agreed. Pops picked Sera up like she weighed nothing.

I'll see you later, Gabe said, kissing my cheek. His features were tight, and I bit back the need to ask him what was wrong. Now wasn't the time. 

Tonight, after my shift at Bertilini's? I asked, meeting his gaze. 

I'll be there. He smiled, but his body remained stiff. Maybe he was still upset over what Pops had done to the jerk who hurt Sera. 

I tilted my head and scrunched my eyebrows together, hoping the effort would help me read him. It didn't. Good. I watched him walk to the end of the alley and turn the corner. 

Once Gabe was out of sight, I whispered the spell that opened a portal back into Sharra. Specifically, the basement of the Seven Magics Academy. 

2

Magical Shield

If the world was created with a bang, then magic began in a whisper. The utterance of one word: Bloomous, that single declaration, articulated softly, started it all. 

Bloomous.

I thought about that as I considered the lesson I was preparing for next week's classes.

The ideas brought back memories, some recent, others happened years ago.

While many weren't good, I was grateful for them anyway because they made me step up and become the witch I was today.

And in my opinion, I was pretty damn awesome. 

The lights flickered, and I searched the room.

It was large with reformatory cells along the far wall.

Desks covered in various magical items were placed in the middle of the room.

The door resided on the other side. Wide and arched at the top, it was made of wood with a black wrought iron handle.

Shelves lined either side of the entrance and were filled with dusty old books interspersed with old boxes and ancient-looking artifacts.

On the two short walls stood an enchanted sentry. Gilded armor that looked like it belonged in Arthurian times.

Basically, the room was a catch-all for things we weren't sure what to do with but were too valuable to throw away. 

Again the lights sputtered.

Luminous nervosa, I said, hoping that would fix the flickering.

It was hard to believe I was a teacher at the Seven Magics Academy.

In high school, I always thought teachers were so old.

I was barely older than the oldest students.

In a lot of ways, I considered myself a kid. Just like the ones I taught. 

There were three things I believed were important in this world.

Fashion, friendship, and magic. Not necessarily in that order.

Sure, it was always important to look your best, and magic was the coolest thing on the planet, but if I had to choose between a gorgeous new top from Bloomingdale's or my best friend Snow, I would choose Snow.

Without even batting a false eyelash.

Yes, she was a little awkward and couldn't put an outfit together to save her life. But, she had a heart bigger than the Grand Canyon and cared for me and all supernaturals like we were her family.

As Vampire Queen of Sharra, Snow carried a lot of responsibility.

I did what I could to help, including teaching the spells and charms classes at the Seven Magics Academy.

It was strange how much I enjoyed teaching exasperating teenagers how to put together a charm or master a spell.

Actually, it was more than like.

I loved teaching.

Helping them figure out their magic shifted my worldview.

Where before I was unsure of my place, now I knew right where I fit.

Seeing students' eyes light up, and over time, watching their confidence develop, it was a joy to be a part of - even if they were little pricks sometimes. 

Gabe kept telling me to pace myself.

All my passion could get used up like a dried sponge sooner rather than later.

He spoke from experience. Leading the chayot and helping the humans took its toll on my boyfriend.

Keeping the peace between vampires and other magical creatures as well as non-magical humans was a full-time job-and-a-half.

I didn't envy him one bit.

But as I sat at a desk in the basement, waiting for Sera to wake up, I thought a lot of it had to do with the job itself.

I was shaping and molding young minds while Gabe was wrangling rogue vampires and cleaning up magical messes. 

I sighed, happy I could spend time in Sharra at the academy though I also enjoyed hunting for new students whenever necessary and working weekends at Bertilini's. The Italian restaurant was in the human realm and they would be lost without me.

It was also good to spend time with Gabe.

We'd been together a while, longer than Dorian and Snow, but Gabe hadn't hinted at a proposal.

Not that I cared.

At least, not that much.

I loved him, and he loved me. It was enough for now. 

I checked my watch. Sera was still asleep, and I needed to be here when she woke. I ended up calling Bertilini's and getting someone to cover my shift.

I also canceled on Gabe. He was acting weird anyway. 

At the moment, Sera was lying on a single bed in a cell, the bars and walls shielded by magic so she couldn't bust out when she did wake.

The bars and cells were a regrettable necessity. I didn't want her to be afraid. She wasn't a prisoner, per se. She was going to be a new student at the academy - if I could convince her. 

Sera moaned, rubbing her head. 

With the wave of my hand, I paused the pen I was using to do my lesson and stood, taking a deep breath.

Over the years since Snow officially took over the Seven Magics Academy, I found myself in this position many times. 

She sat up, rubbing her head. Where am I? Her voice was soft but dangerous.

I would bet my right hand she was descended from trolls. Don't ask about the logistics of that. I didn't want to know. Nor did I want to think about it. Weirdly, it was more common than one might believe. Some humans were willing to try anything, including a smelly troll. 

You're in the basement of the Seven Magics Academy, a school for supernatural kids like you, I said, resting my hands on my hips. 

She noticed the bars, and her eyes widened. Why am I locked up? 

It's okay. They are there to protect you. I stepped closer, getting a whiff of her. The girl needed a shower.

She stood, her hands flailing magic from her body.

Her golden